Star Trek Falcon - Episode one: Spread your wings
by Beta Hero
Summary: Captain Danielle Dolch has just received her first command, the newly upgraded USS Falcon. While the last few updates and tests are being conducted she and her crew arrive at the space doc for their mission of exploration near the Neutral zone.


_**Title: **_Star Trek Falcon – Episode one: Spread your wings

_**Rating: **_Fiction K+

_**Disclaimer: **_The Star Trek universe belongs to paramount pictures, I'm just borrowing it and using it as a playground.

_**Summary:  
**_Captain Danielle Dolch has just received her first command, the newly upgraded USS Falcon. While the last few updates and tests are being conducted she and her crew arrive at the space doc for their mission of exploration near the Neutral Zone.

_**Author Note:  
**__This is really just a hobby project that I work on because I like doing it. It is based on a story that I wrote almost 10 years ago. Characters and plotline have been improved and I promise that this time around, I will do a spelling and grammar check._

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_The appearance of favoritism_

There was an uncomfortable silence. Nervously Danielle pulled on the sleeve of her uniform. At first she had been unsure whether this whole thing was a good idea. After all, people were going to say Mick only had gotten the position she had just offered him because he was her brother, or that she had only offered him the job because she didn't want him to end up on a war vessel patrolling the neutral zone, which had been everything but neutral lately.

On the other hand, she couldn't think of anybody more qualified for the job, even though she had given it some serious thought. "So, what do you say?" She didn't bother to try to smile, he would see right through her anyway.

"You want me as your Chief Engineer?" Mick paused for a moment. "Are you sure that's even going to work? No offence but aren't we kind of familiar and stuff? I can't say I can see myself following your orders." He clearly had the same concerns she had. She couldn't help but to smile now. "Can't you just see past the fact that I'm your sister?"

"Do pigs fly?"

"Depends, do they have wings?" He smiled back at her. "Unlikely, but not impossible." Slowly the smile faded from his face. She let him think for a moment. She couldn't expect him to immediately say yes to something she had spent weeks thinking about before reaching her final conclusion. She wanted the best, and if that just happened to be her brother that didn't change a thing. She still found herself unwilling to settle for second best. "Who did you have in mind for the rest of your senior staff?"

She handed him the data pad that had been sitting on the table the whole time. He picked it up and started reading while he took a sip of his coffee. "That's actually a pretty impressive list you got there." He said as he looked up. "But why the hell haven't you selected a Science Officer. This is a mission of exploration right?"

"I had selected Lieutenant Turek, but he declined. He had also been offered a spot at a research facility that he found, I quote, 'quite challenging'." Mick rolled his eyes. "Am I out of line saying that the pointy eared idiot actually did you a favor saying no?" She gave him a look and he smiled. "Aw, come on, you know I'm right here."

"And you still wonder why I made it to starship Captain and you didn't?" He took another sip of his coffee and lay down the pad. "I never said I did, politics just aren't my thing I guess." He paused as he glanced back at the pad. "Aren't you going to request another Science Officer?" She sighed. "No, I don't know anybody else who stands out in the field. Any random officer will do as far as I'm concerned."

"You want a suggestion?" He leaned back into his chair. She gave him a questioning look. "Since when do you even know any Science Officers?" He shrugged. "I worked with her on my last assignment. She's sort of young but I think she really has potential." He paused and studied her face. "You like potential right?"

She picked up the pad from the table. "What's her name?"

"Ensign Emma Zinck." He replied and she entered the name in the database. As the file loaded on the pad her attention was drawn to the picture of the Ensign in question. Emma Zinck turned out to be quite handsome with her long blond hair, bright blue eyes and wide smile. As a matter of fact, she exactly fitted Mick's taste in women. She threw her brother a look. "Are you sure you don't just like her to be a part of the decor?" She asked as she took another good look at the picture. "Just read her file. If that doesn't convince you I don't know what will. It's better than mine for crying out loud."

"It's not like that is impressive." Danielle mumbled as she quickly scanned the file. It wasn't bad, far from actually. It wasn't the best she had come across selecting a Science Officer, but overall it was better than average. Ensign Zinck had not only been accepted into Starfleet academy at her first application, but also managed to graduate in the top 10 of her class 4 years later. She was inexperienced though, Ensign Zinck had never been assigned to a starship before. Her previous assignments were mostly temporary assignments on outposts or star bases. Which only left her with one question, "Where did you meet her anyway? Wasn't your last assignment on the USS something?"

"The USS Unicorn. Yeah, I was. I met Emma when the outpost she was assigned to needed our assistance. It was some sort of engineering problem that I won't bore you with. I was part of the away team."

"So you two are on a first name basis?"

He rolled his eyes. "And that is what you got from what I just said?" there was a silence. "I don't know Mick. This might not be a good idea."

"Why wouldn't it be a good idea?"

"It might not be a good idea because you obviously have a personal connection to Ensign Zinck." Danielle felt as if she couldn't stress the word not enough in this sentence. Mick threw her a skeptic look. "So? It's not like you are avoiding the appearance of favoritism seeing the fact that you asked me as your Chief Engineer. I don't see the problem." He paused for a moment to study his sister's face. "You wanted the best right? Well, this is it."

Danielle sighed. She knew her brother was stubborn. It had been one of many reasons why he never made it to command, but she knew he wasn't stupid and having to spell everything out to him was becoming somewhat tiresome. "It's a problem Mick, because I already asked you. One staff member I can explain using the term 'coincidence', but for some reason, that doesn't work the second time around."

"You're talented, I'm sure you'll find a way to explain." He smiled at her as she shook her head. "Flattery will get you nowhere Mick. So what will it be?" She put down the pad on the table as she looked at her brother. He leaned towards her a little.

"I'll be your Chief Engineer if Ensign Zinck will be your Science Officer." He got out of his chair and looked down at his sister. "Let me know when you've figured it out okay?" Without saying another word, he walked off. Danielle cursed herself. He hadn't set foot on the ship, or even accepted his new position as Chief Engineer, but he had already done exactly what she had been afraid he'd do. She rubbed her forehead and glanced over at the pad on the table. How bad could it be really?

Getting up Danielle checked her coffee cup, it was empty. She got her coat of the back of the chair and picked up the empty cup. While she walked off to her next meeting she made a mental note to herself to at least make her brother sweat for a couple of days before letting him know she accepted his terms.

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_AN: Thank you for reading and don't forget to leave me a comment or review!_

_2nd AN: I decided to change a number of names of the characters in this story. Luckily in this first chapter the only name that was changed is the Captain's first name. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. She'll be called Danielle (Dani) Dolch from here on out.  
_


End file.
